


Quiet Understandings

by KellinJoJo



Series: Family Matters [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Levi-centric (Shingeki no Kyojin), M/M, Soft Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), sickening soft, they're dads and Armin is their kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29600739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KellinJoJo/pseuds/KellinJoJo
Summary: “What did we talk about earlier?” He started with a firm voice and a quirked brow. He watched as tears finally pushed over the waterline of the kids eyes and then the sniffles came. Internally Levi cursed because he knew that cussing in front of kids always ended up with them repeating them once they could speak.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith
Series: Family Matters [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2199294
Comments: 5
Kudos: 154





	Quiet Understandings

**Author's Note:**

> So I love domestic Eruri and I especially love it when kids are thrown into the mix! One thing that I do think about as I read fics on this topic is that I really believe Levi would be a great dad. He might be the "bad cop" parent but I think he just feels everything all the time and is such a loving parent despite being the hammer. I love soft Levi so really this was just an excuse for me to write something centered around him being softer. It was also an excuse for me to make use of tired Levi who puts the top part of his hair into a messy bun.
> 
> Anyways, I might end up just making this into a little anthology series to be updated every so often since it's just very cute and light.

Filth was something that Levi had never been able to handle. He could handle assholes on the metro, loud screaming, snoring, and other things that most would consider to be annoying; however, filth and mess was something he had never been able to handle. Most of that could probably be attributed to growing up in Kenny’s dirty house on the lower east side. Levi could remember the grime in the bathroom that made him want to throw up along with the bugs that never seemed to get out of the house. No matter how much he cleaned the place it never got any better. All throughout his life he had heard people say that filth breeds filth, but this statement had a double meaning in his mind. The first being that filth always led to more filth in the literal sense; however, the second meaning was always more personal. Filthy people will always be filthy people. 

Now as he sits in front of a messy one year old he starts to wonder if that saying was actually true. The kid in front of him was always making a mess of his kitchen and the living room...there were always stained clothes to wash, dishes to do, and toys to pick up. Levi could feel his eyelid twitch as he sat there with the blond kid staring at him with wet blue eyes and a quivering lip. 

“What did we talk about earlier?” He started with a firm voice and a quirked brow. He watched as tears finally pushed over the waterline of the kids eyes and then the sniffles came. Internally Levi cursed because he knew that cussing in front of kids always ended up with them repeating them once they could speak. With a tired sigh he set the plate and fork aside before standing to fiddle with the high chair. With practice ease he slid the tray off and set it on the kitchen table before putting his hands under the blond’s armpits and lifting him up. 

A few years ago he never could have even thought he’d be holding a messy toddler covered in food close to his chest. Levi looked at the sniffling kid before leaning forward to press a kiss to his temple, “Don’t cry.” His voice is soft as he nuzzles a bit closer into the soft blond hair as a means to comfort the kid. He was always so sensitive and in constant need of assurance. Slowly he could tell the waterworks were coming to a halt and then the kid is a dead weight in his arms. Levi looks at him only to see that sleep is what caused the tears to stop. 

“And this is why we don’t fight our naps…” he mumbled with a roll of his eyes before going to set the sleeping child in the playpen kept in the living room. Levi easily deposits him into the playpen before grabbing a blanket to drape over him. Once he’s settled Levi stands for a few moments to just look over the kid. 

In his later teen years and early twenties during his undergrad, Levi had never wanted kids. After growing up with Kenny and in the slums he felt that he wasn’t equipped in the slightest to handle the responsibility. He was too emotionally damaged. How would he ever be a good father? Well that was what Kenny had told him: “You’d end up just like yer daddy, boy. A deadbeat that runs off”. At the time Levi had been eighteen and agreed with Kenny considering he didn’t have the best reputation and on top of that figured most of the men who had previously been his type weren’t interested in kids at all. So for a few more years Kenny had been correct.

With a sigh he runs a hand through his hair before realizing he’s going to need to shower. He can’t remember the last time he’s washed his hair since he’s been taking three minute showers for the past week. Armin is fussy and clingy to the point that taking a proper shower is impossible. His hands move up so he can pull the longer hair on top of his head into a small yet messy bun. Parts of his bangs fall into his face and he shakes his head to get them to settle. Once he double checks on Armin to ensure that he’s asleep, Levi goes to clean up the kitchen. 

He starts with the food first. Levi puts all the good food into containers before throwing what they wouldn’t need away into the trash. He makes a mental note to take the trash out so it doesn’t make the kitchen smell. Then he moves onto the dishes, washing them and then putting them in the dishwasher. Before Armin, he had hated dishwashers considering they never really got anything truly clean...but with a kid and so little time he had decided to trust the contraption which admittedly made his life much easier. With the food put away and the dishes starting the cycle, he wiped down all the surfaces before moving onto the small dining area by the large kitchen window. 

He could feel his eyelid twitching all over again as he laid sight on the mess. Armin was usually a mild mannered kid that didn’t cause any problems but tonight something had been wrong. All day he had been incredibly fussy. It started when he was woken up by blood curdling screams that had Levi up in an instant and rushing to Armin’s room. He could see those watery blue eyes and tears which made his chest constrict to the point he could feel tears of his own pushing at his eyes. Was he just tired or is this just something that happens to parents? After gathering up Armin in his arms and tending to him so that he would stop crying, they went about their morning routine. He gave Armin his bath, lotioned up his skin, combed his hair, and dressed him for the day. Levi liked getting Armin ready for the day because while he had never imagined he’d be changing diapers, he liked making sure the kid was taken care of and clean. Maybe it stemmed from the fact no one had ever done it to him as a baby. 

After the screaming that started the day off, Levi should have known that things were going to be rough. Breakfast had been met with a refusal. For nearly ten minutes the two went back and forth with the food that was in front of him but Armin wasn’t having any of it. Instead he just kept pouting and pushing it towards Levi. They settled into a rhythm of pushing the plate towards each other until Armin got frustrated enough to just shove it at Levi. Banana yogurt and sweet bread landing directly into his lap. Before Levi could even chastise him, Armin was crying. After that fiasco. he cleaned up and set Armin in his playpen to play so that he could get a few housekeeping things out of the way before doing some work. The next meltdown happened at lunch when he once again refused to eat. Instead of fighting with him Levi just left the food there on the high chair and went back to doing his work. He didn’t have the time to keep playing with food. Leaving the food there was a mistake because when he came back the spaghetti o’s were smeared all over the high chair and Armin...so it was time for a second bath. Next he had refused a nap and so Levi was content to let the kid do whatever he wanted. If Armin was going to refuse everything then Levi would let him be. 

Now he was staring at the once again messy high chair and food that had been thrown to the floor. The weight of the day was heavy on his shoulder as he just looked at the mess. He was exhausted. With a sigh he rubbed his face before going to grab the supplies needed to clean up the mess. As he scrubbed the floors he forced himself to think about the good things. If there was one thing he had learned so far about being a parent it was that when things got bad you just had to focus on the good memories. So as he scrubbed at the floorboards he willed himself to think back to the first time he had held Armin at the adoption closing, the small hands that always grabbed at his face, the way he would wrap his arms around his neck and just bury his face into his neck, and his favorite memory to think about was when Armin had first recognized him as his dad. 

His throat was tight as he sat there on the floor. Levi’s hands had stilled and now he was just sitting there on his knees with his head hanging between his shoulders. This entire week had been hard for him and he was hoping it would get better. It had been a week of dealing with a fussy toddler and equally fussy adult clients. The house felt disgusting and he felt gross as well. Levi shook his head to try to get the tears to stay behind his eyelids as he stood up. The floor was clean and now he had the mind to just leave the high chair for in the morning. He had a good hour before Armin could possibly wake up so he did a quick check before going upstairs to hopefully shower. Levi’s feet were heavy against the stairs as he trudged to the bedroom and then to the master bath. As he got to the bathroom he took a moment to take in his appearance. 

There were dark circles under his eyes naturally because of his insomnia but with the exhaustion of the week they were even darker than usual. His skin looked almost translucent and there was a smearing of sauce on the right side of his jawline. Despite his hair being pulled back he could tell his hair was incredibly greasy...to put it bluntly he was disgusting. 

“Children are the blessings of the world…,” he muttered and rolled his eyes. 

Slowly Levi peeled his clothes off his body and tossed them in the hamper before going to start the shower. He lifted a hand to pull his hair out of the bun before stepping into the shower and under the hot water. A groan left his lips as the warmth seeped through his skin and then deep into his bones. For a while he just stood there under the water just letting it wash over him before deciding he didn’t have the time to waste so he made quick work of his hair and body. At least he had found the time to shave yesterday. 

By the time he had dried off and had the towel around his waist was when the crying started. By now he had gotten over the frustration that built up when he heard sounds of crying. In the beginning it had taken him a while to get used to the screaming and crying. Levi could remember the sleepless nights and how irritated he would get at the sound of crying, but kids cry and it was a fact he accepted early on. Crying was nothing new at this point. Quickly he slipped on a pair of boxers and an oversized t-shirt before taking the stairs two at a time. Once he got into the living room he didn’t waste any time in rushing to the playpen and scooping Armin up and into his arms. The crying stopped and Levi moved to go and sit down on the sectional. He slouched a bit and settled Armin on his chest with an arm wrapped around the small body. 

The two were silent for a bit except for the occasional hiccup from Armin. Levi used his freehand to pet through Armin’s hair which seemed to relax him to the point that he could doze off. The pair rested and fed off of the warmth that they supplied one another. It was domestic and college age Levi would have thrown up at the sight...but thirty year old Levi was at peace in a way he had never known before. After a few minutes of sitting there he gently moved up and went to stand so that he could change Armin and put him to bed. He was glad to see that Armin must’ve been incredibly tired because he was utterly passed out against Levi’s shoulder as they made their way through the house to turn off all the lights downstairs. He didn’t even budge as Levi went up the stairs and pushed the door open to Armin’s room. Once there he takes his time in getting him ready for bed, all of which Armin still managed to sleep through. He pulls the pajamas over his body before going to lay him down in his bed. For a few seconds he just looks at him before leaning down to press a soft kiss to his hair, “sleep well...maybe tomorrow will be better.” 

He shuts the door behind him and once again retreats to his bedroom so he can promptly pass out himself. Levi shuts all the lights off once again and crawls into the half unmade bed and once he gets comfortable he’s asleep before he can even realize it. 

Most mornings he wakes up to the sounds of crying or snoring but he hears neither as his eyes slowly start to peel open. The sun is coming in through the curtains and something feels different. Levi groans and rubs a hand down his face before turning over and noticing that the other side of the bed has been unmade. Once his sleepy brain manages to put two and two together, his heart jumps into his throat. He’s up in an instant and looks to the clock that reads 10:30 am. He had slept way too long and he felt like this was all some sort of fever dream. Levi was all wide eyes, bed head, and fast legs as he moved down the stairs and made it to the kitchen. The sight that greeted him was one that took his breath away in the best way possible. 

At the kitchen table was Armin in his high chair playing with some dry Fruit Loops and babbling about something while in front of him was his sleep tousled husband reading the newspaper with his reading glasses sitting low on his nose. The two blonds were oblivious to Levi until he took a step forward and caught Armin’s attention. A wide grin stretched onto the boy's face as he waved his hand at Levi, “da!”

The small scream stirred Erwin from whatever he was reading and caused him to look up at their son and then towards Levi’s direction. He watched a wide grin stretch across Erwin’s face and once again he was reminded of how similar the two looked despite Armin being adopted. Levi was stuck in place looking at the pair and in that moment he felt so sentimental it made him feel raw. His eyes traced over the lines of Erwin’s face and how he looked at him over the top of his glasses. Erwin set the paper down before pulling his glasses off as he stood up. The glasses found purchase on the kitchen table before he moved over to close the gap between him and Levi. All Levi could do is take in his sleepy appearance as he approached, shaggy blond hair, tired eyes, some old t-shirt, and blue flannel pajama pants. Even like this Levi can only think about how incredibly jaw dropping the other is. His mouth goes dry.

Finally Erwin stood in front of him, and Levi had to tilt his head back to look up at his husband. Soon enough one of Erwin’s hands cupped his jaw and the other settled on his hip. They don’t say anything for a few seconds and Levi is glad that neither of them say anything. He’s also glad that the Fruit Loops are entertaining enough to keep Armin from wanting attention. 

“I should leave you here for a week with the kid,” Levi said after a second but the threat is empty. It wasn’t Erwin’s fault he had to go on an emergency business trip. The only response he gets from the blond is a chuckle and the sound is enough to make his knees turn to jelly. 

“I suppose I deserve it after leaving you alone for a week,” he replied before leaning down to press a lingering kiss to Levi’s forehead, “I’m sorry for leaving so fast...I know neither of us was prepared for it. I went ahead and cleaned up everything that was left. You looked so tired and like you were sleeping well so I left you to sleep and cleaned the house.” Everything he said is so simple and just a common courtesy but after the stressful week of being a single parent and working...he could already feel his eyes starting to burn yet again. Erwin knew that Levi had a hard time dealing with disorganization and mess. They had been through a lot of talks about boundaries as well as quiet understanding throughout their years of being together, so to know that Erwin had taken the time to wake up and tend to all of the things he wasn’t able to made him feel seen and understood. Before he can stop them he feels the tears finally spill over and he hisses. 

Embarrassment creeps up his neck as he feels tears slip over his lash line and he hastily lifts a hand to wipe them away but like always Erwin is a step ahead of him. He’s quick to wipe the tears so Armin doesn’t catch sight of them. Erwin’s thumb is warm as he wipes the tears from his face and Levi just leans forward to press his face into Erwin’s chest, “I missed you.” The words are sincere and he wraps his arms tightly around the blond’s waist as he feels lips pressing into his hair, “I know...and I missed you too.” They stay like that for a few seconds before Levi pulls away and then looks back up to Erwin. 

Once more the hand from earlier settled onto his cheek, thumb brushing under his eye. It’s all so tender and domestic it makes his head spin but he isn’t able to catch a break considering the other is leaning down and soon enough slightly chapped lips are pressed right against his. Levi grunts softly and lifts his own hands to fist into the fabric of Erwin’s shirt in order to pull him closer. The kiss is firm and simple. No longer are they young twenty-somethings looking to kiss until they can’t breathe. At this stage in their lives kissing has taken on a new meaning. One of quiet understandings as well as actions that fill all the gaps words can’t. Regardless it still leaves him tingling like when he was twenty and kissing Erwin for the first time. 

Levi is the first to pull away and he can feel Erwin chasing his lips but a small smirk curls on his lips as he looks up at the all too familiar blue of his eyes, “that’s all you’re getting from me for now. If you want more, find a babysitter.” He gives the blond a last quick kiss to the corner of his lips before pulling away to go and make a cup of tea to start the day. Erwin stands there for a moment and he seems to work through something in his head before humming, “Nan did mention she wanted to get Armin for a weekend not too long ago…” The sound of feet against the tiles lets him know that Erwin is returning to the kitchen table.

All Levi can do is snort as he sets the kettle onto the eye of the stove so it can warm up. He turns around so he can look at the other two that have resumed their previous stations at the table. Only this time Erwin is helping Armin color sort his Fruit Loops. A smile tugs at his lips as he watches the two and he can’t help the way his chest warms up when Erwin speaks to Armin. He gets lost in his thoughts as he watches the two of them. At first he thinks about the process to get here and the heartbreaks they went through before getting Armin and now all he can think about is how good life is now that they have him. The whistle of the kettle pulls him from his thoughts and then he’s going to pour the hot water in the mug before setting the tea difusor into the water. 

He watches as the tea leaves steep and soon enough the liquid in the mug is dark so he removes the difusor to clean later. Levi grabs the mug before walking over to the table and leans down to press a kiss to the top of his son’s head which makes the boy stop his color sorting and then look up at him with wide blue eyes that are full of so much love it nearly knocks him down. Instead of falling like his legs want him to, he just offers a small smile before reaching down with his free hand to grab one of the colorful rings and pops it in his mouth, “don’t encourage him to play with his food.” His eyes cut up to Erwin who is just looking at him with sickening adoration. 

Kenny was wrong. Being a parent isn’t hard and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even if it meant doing laundry every day, running the dishwasher twice a day, picking up toys, listening to temper tantrums, or having a heart attack at every little bump and bruise. Having Erwin made things all the easier and if this is what life was...he was so glad to have it.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a kudos or comment if you enjoyed, and if you have any comments or suggestions please don't hesitate to drop those! I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading :')


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